Catholic Faith Traditions

Just three days after the Church celebrates the birth of Jesus, we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocents, those infant boys of Bethlehem, killed by order of an enraged King Herod after he was deceived by the magi (Matthew 2:16-18). Rather than the cruelty of the massacre, it is the martyrdom of these children that leads us to prayer. Jesus was the object of Herod’s search, and it was Joseph’s attentiveness to God’s messenger to “take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you” (2:13), that protected them. These Holy Innocents, killed by a threatened and fearful king, gave their life for the newborn Savior, Prince of Peace.

Becoming aware of, and helping to meet the needs of innocent children in our own city, country and world, are wonderful ways of honoring these first century martyrs.